ISL 2022-23: We will fight until the end to be in the playoffs – Odisha FC head coach Josep Gombau

Odisha FC head coach Josep Gombau has stated that they will fight until the end to reach the playoffs of the ongoing Hero Indian Super League 2022-23. The Kalinga Warriors lost their previous match against ATK Mohun Bagan by 2-0 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata on Saturday.

Dimitri Petratos scored a brace for the Mariners to help his team grab three crucial points. With this loss, Odisha FC slipped to the seventh position with seven wins in 15 matches and a total of 22 points. Gombau’s team is still in the reckoning for the playoffs but they will need to come up with consistent performances in the upcoming matches.

Gombau admitted they made the mistake in the early phase of the match and they had to suffer because of the same. On the other hand, the visitors could only take one shot on target.

“It was a good game. We made a mistake at the beginning of the match in the third minute which resulted in us conceding the goal. We lost the ball at the midfield line which we can’t lose and that allowed the opposition to make the transition. If you concede a goal in the first three minutes then you have to go and chase the result. If we want to be competitive, fight and qualify for the playoffs, we cannot make such mistakes,” Gombau said in the post-match conference.

Gombau added they are a work-in-progress team as they still have to improve a lot whereas ATK Mohun Bagan is a big side.

“Teams like ATK Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City FC, these are big teams and we are a team under construction. We don’t have the power to sign players like them. We are doing a good season with the kind of club we are. We will fight until the end to be in the playoffs. I don’t think we are playing badly this year, we are playing good football, we are competing in every game,” Gombau added.

Gombau said his team is doing well but also admitted that winning in Kolkata is not easy.

“My team is doing well. To come here and win is not easy. I think Odisha FC is having a decent season. We are competing and we will fight until the end to try to be in the playoffs. We play with a lot of young players, they are working hard, we are building up from the back and we are trying to play a decent style of football. I’m proud of them. I cannot blame anyone,” Gombau concluded.

Odisha FC will next face Chennaiyin FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai on Thursday.